Closer to home: Go on a walking tour of your community Get your neighbours involved, bring some food, this checklist, and see what you can identify!

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1 Closer to home: Go on a walking tour of your community Get your neighbours involved, bring some food, this checklist, and see what you can identify! huron county Active transportation: GET A Move ON!

2 Researching Step Four Researching Imagine (or ask!) what the walking challenges are for: An elderly person A young child Someone who is visually impaired Someone late at night Research can happen throughout the process. At some point, you will want to step back and evaluate what your community has in terms of active transportation assets. Potential areas to research include: What does your community look like? Ages? Income? Where do people live? Where do they work? Where do they play? Where do they go to school? How do they move around the community? What are the special needs in your community? Checklist What do you have and what is missing? Crosswalks and sidewalks Trails Bike paths, lanes, and racks Washroom facilities Supportive community attitudes Finances Know-how Community groups Safety lighting, crossing guards, lots Aesthetics Signage Physical and geographic barriers river, etc. Local government perspectives etc. huron county Active transportation: Get a move on! 17

3 Host a meeting Bring a map or air photo Have people draw: Where they walk How they get to school How they go shopping Where they work Where they don t feel safe Anything else specific to your community Idea Space on Researching huron county Active transportation: GET A Move ON!

4 Researching What documents might be helpful? Gather all relevant active transportation documents this may include funding, support, and information. Contact the Huron County Health Unit at or for more information. What bylaws and regulations are relevant? Safety is key. Numerous regulations exist to help ensure personal safety (speed limits, crosswalks etc.). Be familiar with these especially in proximity to schools. Contact the local municipality or planning department. Do any maps already exist that might be helpful? Roads, trails, specialty maps that include bike-friendly routes (there may already be maps available from the municipality or county that help to identify any number of relevant features). Contact the Huron County Health Unit, Huron County Tourism Office or the Huron County Planning Department. Depending on the complexity of your community, this research may be very brief or more detailed. Check out resources at: The Huron County Health Unit Huron County Planning Department Your local municipality huron county Active transportation: Get a move on! 19

5 Sometimes people only want to focus on the positive. A SWOT analysis helps to ensure that you consider both sides of an issue. By doing this you are better able to capture opportunities and respond to threats. huron county Active transportation: transportation: GET Get A Move on! ON!

6 Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats A SWOT analysis helps your community decide specific actions to take. Step Five Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) A SWOT analysis helps you understand your community s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Strengths and Weaknesses Internal Specific to your community Community has some control over it Strength example: A centrally located grocery store that is within walking distance for many in the community. Weakness example: No crosswalk at a busy intersection Opportunities and Threats External Affects many communities Community has little control over it Opportunity example: When the price of gas increases, people are motivated to drive less. Threat example: Reduced government support for active transportation initiatives. Use your own knowledge, other people s input and any research you can find to make a list of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. huron county Active transportation: Get a move on! 21

7 Idea Space on Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats huron county Active transportation: GET A Move ON!

8 Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats Why do a SWOT analysis? Helps provide focus what do you need to improve? Helps prepare for opportunities Helps deal with threats more effectively Strength What do we have? Opportunity What trends can we use? Weakness What are we missing? Threat What changes could hurt us? When making your SWOT list, try to answer some of the following questions. Strengths/Weaknesses questions: What assets do you have in your community that encourage active transportation? Are people in your community supportive of active transportation? What does your community do well or where could you improve? Opportunities/Threats questions: What trends do you see coming in the future? How do you see the demographics of your community changing in the future? Does local and provincial government policy assist active transportation initiatives? huron county Active transportation: Get a move on! 23

6 Ways to Describe Your Community

APPENDIX 10 6 Ways to Describe Your Community Lifestyles & Interests Groups & Affiliations Agencies & Services Social & Economic Factors Community Assets Changes occurring Public libraries are deeply inclusive